Present, miss!

Today, we're going to tell you a bit more about our new balwadis and how they function.

For starters, each balwadi has an attendance register for the children, which they mark daily. This lets everyone know that the balwadi is not just a place to drop off the children; there are proper schedules and activities, for which regular attendance is necessary.

The next thing to keep track of is the food supplied to the balwadis by the women's self-help groups (SHGs).

A few months ago, at this workshop for the balwadi teachers and SHGs, we had discussed with them the importance of working together and monitoring. So, each balwadi is supplied with a card in which the teacher of that balwadi makes a daily record (as you can see below).

The staff from our counterpart, SAPREM, visit the balwadis two-three times a week, and record their observations in the card. And when the Mumbai Smiles projects monitoring team visits the balwadis, we record our observations. This system helps in keeping track of payment to the SHGs  every month, and also helps in monitoring their services.

Additonally, there is also a card to keep a record of visits to the balwadis, by anyone, including SAPREM and Mumbai Smiles staff members.

By putting such systems in place, we want to create a more disciplined and professional environment, which will help the balwadis function better.